(REGINA) – When the CP Women’s Open takes to the links in Regina in August, Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation will be the official beneficiary of the seven day tournament. Through its CP Has Heart campaign, Canadian Pacific (CP) will once again make a substantial donation to the host community by supporting pediatric cardiology at the new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, which is currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2019.

“CP is very proud to partner with Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital for the 2018 CP Women’s Open,” said Keith Creel, CP President and CEO. “This is a natural partnership as CP is focused on heart health through our community investment program, CP Has Heart, and the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital is focused on helping the youngest hearts across the great province of Saskatchewan – a province that has been integral to our network for more than 130 years.”

Funds raised through the CP Women’s Open will support a dedicated pediatric cardiology space and specialized equipment in the Pediatric Outpatients Clinic at the new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital. With a nature theme running throughout the hospital, the “Frog Pod” will be specifically used to treat pediatric cardiology patients and will include three echocardiography exam rooms, a pulmonary function technology lab, an exercise challenge room, and a regular exam room. Directly across the hall, included in the pod, is a staff echocardiology reading room.

“On behalf of Saskatchewan children and families, we offer our heartfelt thanks to CP and the CP Women’s Open for helping us further develop the provincial pediatric cardiology program at our new children’s hospital,” said Brynn Boback-Lane, President and CEO of Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation. “It warms our hearts to know the impact this legacy gift will have for young patients, families, and the provincial pediatric cardiac team.”

The Pediatric Outpatients Clinic, which will see children for general pediatrics, cardiology, oncology, speech and language, hearing, and psychiatry, will offer three times more exam rooms than are available today. An anticipated 40,000 young patients will use this area of the hospital every year.

In the four years of CP’s title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open, $6.5 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in Canada.

“Together with our incredible partners at CP and the LPGA Tour, Golf Canada is proud to bring world-class professional golf to The Wascana Country Club, the city of Regina and the province of Saskatchewan in 2018,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “I can’t say enough about the great work that CP does through the CP Has Heart campaign and there is great reason for Saskatchewan residents to be excited about the charitable legacy in support of pediatric cardiac care at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital that will make a difference in people’s lives.”

This is the first time Saskatchewan will play host to a major LPGA Tour event. The CP Women’s Open will run from August 20-26, 2018 at Regina’s Wascana Country Club. Tickets and corporate hosting are available for purchase at www.cpwomensopen.com

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., – The LPGA Tour today announced that 24-year-old Sung Hyun Park, of the Republic of Korea, has mathematically clinched the 2017 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award with five events remaining on the season’s schedule.

Park, who won the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open Championship for her first LPGA and major victory, has a 798-point lead over Angel Yin which would mark the third-largest margin of victory in the history of the award, passing 2016 winner In Gee Chun (778 points) and trailing only Karrie Webb over Mayumi Hirase in 1996 (1030 points) and Se Ri Pak over Janice Moodie in 1999 (929 points).

“I am honored to receive this award which was one of my goals from the beginning of the season,” Park said. “This is really special because you only get one chance in a lifetime. Taking this opportunity, I want to be a better player.”

In July, Park rallied from three strokes behind after three rounds to pull off a victory at the U.S. Women’s Open, becoming a Rolex First-Time Winner and capturing her first major title. The following month, Park earned her second career win with a four-stroke rally at the CP Women’s Open. She has six additional top-10 finishes in 2017, with no showing worse than 43rd, and finished in the top 20 at four of the season’s five major championships.

Through October 15, Park leads the LPGA in Official Money with $2,092,623, making her the fastest player in LPGA history to reach $2 million in career earnings at 7 months, 13 days (19 starts; 2017 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship). She was also the fastest to reach $1 million in career earnings following her U.S. Women’s Open victory at 4 months, 14 days (14 events).

Park also sits in the top 10 in Scoring Average (first), Race to the CME Globe (second), Rolex Player of the Year (third), Birdies (sixth), Driving Distance Average (ninth) and Greens in Regulation (sixth). She is currently No. 2 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, less than one point behind No. 1 So Yeon Ryu.

Park is currently on leave from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, where she is majoring in International Sports and Leisure. After taking up the game in the second grade at her mother’s suggestion, Park joined the KLPGA Tour in 2012 at the age of 19. She earned her first win on the KLPGA in 2015, and captured 10 total victories before joining the LPGA Tour in 2017.

Park will receive the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award at the 2017 Rolex LPGA Awards ceremony, to be held Thursday, Nov. 16, in conjunction with the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.

About the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award

The Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award, named for the late Louise Suggs, an LPGA Founder and LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame member, was established in 1962. Suggs passed away at the age of 91 in August 2015 but leaves an unsurpassed legacy behind as the namesake for the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award.

This is the 56th year the LPGA Tour will recognize a rookie for their performance in official tournaments. Since its inception, ten Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year winners have become members of the LPGA or World Golf Hall of Fame: Joanne Carner (1970), Amy Alcott (1975), Nancy Lopez (1978), Beth Daniel (1979), Patty Sheehan (1981), Juli Inkster (1984), Annika Sorenstam (1994), Karrie Webb (1996), Se Ri Pak (1998), and Lorena Ochoa (2003).

The rookie of the year award was established in 1962. Until 1992, the rookie of the year award went to the first-year LPGA player who finished with the highest ranking on the LPGA money list through the close of the official domestic LPGA season.

In 1992, a point system was instituted. LPGA Tour rookies are awarded points at each official LPGA tournament based on top 40 finishes and positions 41 through each player making the cut receive 5 points each. All points are doubled at LPGA major championships.

Past Winners

OTTAWA – Cristie Kerr waved at her caddy to stop for a second on the 18th fairway of the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Mirim Lee and her bagman also held up.

Brooke Henderson, the third member of their trio for the final round of the CP Women’s Open, marched ahead with her sister and caddy Britt in tow, the standing ovation from the gallery theirs alone. Although Henderson had an even par round to finish at 7-under in a tie for 12th on Sunday, she was the star of the LPGA event all week and it was only fitting she had one last moment on the course with her legions of fans.

“It was amazing,” said Henderson minutes before accepting the Sandra Post Medal as the tournament’s low Canadian from the award’s namesake. “The crowds were incredible, and to have that support behind me from the very start of the week, Monday, when they were out here following me and cheering me on, it was so amazing.

“Today didn’t go quite as well as I would have liked, but still having that support around me was amazing, and I’m going to remember this week forever.”

South Korea’s Sung Hyun Park shot a 7-under 64 to finish at 13-under par to win the tournament, but she was almost an afterthought for the partisan crowd.

The 19-year-old Henderson, from nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., was on the covers of programs, played pro-ams, appeared on billboards, and did everything asked of her to be an ambassador for the event. On Friday, she almost missed the cut but birdied on her final hole of the second round to keep playing. The next day, Henderson fired a course-record 8-under 63 to rocket up the leaderboard and play in the second-last group in Sunday’s final round.

“She had so much pressure on her this week,” said Kerr, who played with Henderson in the first, second and final rounds. “You know, more than a major, I told her. I was joking around, but it was true. Look at the people out here for her, they all want her to do well, and she wants to do really well for them.”

Kerr tried to settle Henderson’s nerves when it looked like the younger player might miss the cut. When Henderson had a pair of bogeys in the front nine on Sunday Kerr was there again to cheer her up.

Then, of course, it was Kerr who insured that Henderson had one last moment in the sun at the Women’s Open, getting their group of golfers to slow their pace so the Henderson sisters could absorb the crowd’s applause.

What a week for the local favorite, @BrookeHenderson! ??❤️

Watch highlights from her final day #CPWO: pic.twitter.com/YbndLBqQWg

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 27, 2017

“She’s a role model, I look up to her,” said Henderson of Kerr. “To play with her three days this week really helped me. Just things like that, letting me walk up on to 18 and soak in the crowd and all those cheers, that was just really a class act.”

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was the only other Canadian to make the cut out of a field of 14. She shot a 2-under 69 to finish at 3-under par on the tournament. Marchand, who was a sponsor exemption that usually plays on the Symetra Tour, also drew some crowds.

“They’re always cheering you on no matter how it goes,” said Marchand. “It’s nice to have that support backing you, especially playing at home. Now that I’ve played two LPGA events at home, I’m getting more support than I probably would if I was just playing in the States somewhere.”

The crowds were so vocal for Brooke Henderson that even her caddy Britt drew cheers with people calling out her name, encouraging her as she lugged her sister’s golf bag or gave advice.

“The crowds were so great all week and it’s so cool to play this kind of tournament at home and have that kind of crowd support, even the caddy,” said Britt. “It felt awesome.”

OTTAWA – Now that she’s won two LPGA championships, Sung Hyun Park is finally going to get to see the biggest attraction in her home away from home.

Park shot a 7-under 64 to finish at 13-under par to win the CP Women’s Open on Sunday, five weeks after winning the U.S. Women’s Open. Both wins came in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour and she feels it’s time for a rest, so she’s returning to her North American home in Orlando to relax.

“I’ve never been to Disney World. I think I’ve got to go this time,” said Park through a translator. “I have a dog named Ato. It’s been a while since I’ve seen my dog, so I’m planning to play with my dog during my vacation.”

Park started the day in a tie for 12th, but played a bogey-free final round with seven birdies – including back-to-back birdies on the Nos. 8 and 9 holes – to storm up the leaderboard. She had already sewn up the championship by the time the final groupings were on the 18th fairway.

“I feel a little nervous when I play in the last group. But I was not today,” said Park. “Today I was in an earlier group when I started, so I felt a little more comfortable when I played this round.”

Fellow Korean Mirim Lee finished second at 11 under, while China’s Shanshan Feng, Korea’s In Gee Chun, Denmark’s Nicole Broch Larsen and Americans Marina Alex and Cristie Kerr were in a five-way tie for third at 10 under.

Broch Larsen and American Mo Martin had been co-leaders at 10-under to start the day.

“Sung Hyun had a really good round today. But I don’t know, my game was not really bad,” said Chun. “I’m happy for her to win this week. I’ll just keep going to next week.”

Brooke Henderson of nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., shot an even-par round to finish at 7 under to tie for 12th, a disappointing result after her course-record 8-under 63 catapulted her into a tie for sixth after three rounds. The 19-year-old phenom drew the most fans of any golfer at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club and was followed from hole to hole by a sizable gallery.

“I wasn’t nervous, but I had some tension,” said Henderson. “I wanted it so badly that it kind of affected me a little bit with some of the shots that I hit. Some of the putts, they were so close to going in, and it kind of got me down a little bit that they just rubbed the edge or stayed on the lip a couple times.”

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was the only other Canadian to make the cut. She shot a 2-under 69 to finish at 3-under par on the tournament and tie for 30th.

“It was a rough start, but overall I played well. Like after the first few holes,” said Marchand. “It was a good day. I think it was what I kind of wanted to finish the tournament.”

Park believes that the key to her success in her first year on the LPGA Tour is that there are no expectations on her, so if she makes a mistake there’s little consequences.

“Because I am a rookie, I don’t really worry about every shot,” said Park. “I just did every shot with confidence. My confidence made me do well this year.”

Michelle Wie had to withdraw from play between the third and fourth rounds so she could have an emergency procedure to remove her appendix at Ottawa Hospital. Canadian Pacific, the title sponsor of the event, donated $2 million to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario before play began on Sunday.

OTTAWA – American star Michelle Wie was forced to withdraw from the CP Women’s Open with appendicitis on Sunday.

The 27-year-old was scheduled to have her appendix removed at Ottawa Hospital later Sunday.

Wie’s manager with IMG Golf announced the news in a statement, saying “further details on her condition will be provided when available.”

Wie was tied for 23rd, six strokes behind leaders Mo Martin and Nicole Broch Larsen through three rounds at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

Wie has had seven top-10 finishes so far in 2017. Muscle spasms in her neck forced her to withdraw during the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open last month.

​Thanks to a masterful weekend performance, Sung Hyun Park has won the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and helped young patients seeking care at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in the process. Park shot 13 under par on her way to the victory and Canadian Pacific (CP) made a $2 million donation to a renovated catheterization lab and interventional suite at CHEO.

The total donation is the result of several fundraising efforts of the CP Has Heart campaign. Through CP Birdies for Heart, CP contributed $5,000 for each birdie made by a player on the 15th hole during tournament play. A total of 45 birdies represents a $225,000 donation. CP also matched all donations made online at www.cheoheart.com  from April 1 to the end of the tournament.

“I have not been to a golf tournament before that had this level of support from the community and the fans,” said Keith Creel, CP President and Chief Executive Officer. “It was a privilege to watch Sung Hyun Park lead the field of world-class talent, including CP ambassadors Brooke Henderson and Lorie Kane, while simultaneously supporting CHEO’s important work. CP supports the cause of heart health because it’s an issue that touches so many Canadians. As part of ongoing Canada 150 celebrations, it’s our honour to leave a lasting charitable legacy here in the nation’s capital.”

Wow! What a terrific legacy from our #CPWO title sponsor @CanadianPacific. Your @CPHasHeart donation will help so many @CHEOhospital pic.twitter.com/hdBjVhHLRZ

— CP Women's Open (@cpwomensopen) August 27, 2017

To celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial, CP launched the Beautiful Hearts campaign this year. In addition to the CP Women’s Open donation to CHEO, CP is sponsoring the Canadian Football League regular season, playoffs and the Grey Cup in Ottawa. That sponsorship will support the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

Both of the Ottawa-based organizations CP is supporting with its Beautiful Hearts campaign are offering lifesaving care to Canadians who suffer from heart ailments. Children with congenital heart defects that benefit from CHEO’s work will later go on to receive care from the Ottawa Heart Institute.

“The CP Women’s Open coming to Ottawa is an incredible boost for our region, and all of us at CHEO are incredibly thankful that CP chose CHEO as the beneficiary of the CP Has Heart program,” said CHEO Foundation President and CEO Kevin Keohane. “The CP Has Heart campaign will help the doctors, nurses and staff provide the best care possible for patients and families at CHEO. CP, the LPGA, Golf Canada, the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, and the community have come together to support CHEO’s patients and for that we can’t thank them enough.”

CP ambassadors Lorie Kane and Brooke Henderson also contributed to the CHEO donation by participating in the Monday Brooke and Friends pro-am. Proceeds from the pro-am were split between the Golf Canada Foundation and the Team Henderson Foundation. Henderson also announced that her foundation will give back $5,000 to CHEO.

#CPWO child ambassador Zander has a final photo taken with @BrookeHenderson to celebrate the magical week raising $2M for @CHEOhospital pic.twitter.com/RhnSnyKPGL

— CP Has Heart (@CPhasHeart) August 28, 2017

“On behalf of all the players this week, especially the Canadian contingent, I want to thank the fans and the community for the support,” said Smiths Falls, Ontario’s Brooke Henderson, the top Canadian at 7 under par and the new course record holder at Ottawa Hunt with her Saturday 63. “Joining Lorie as a CP ambassador and seeing the long-term impact of CP’s sponsorship of this tournament has been a privilege. A huge thanks to everyone who donated to CHEO and to CP for bringing the tournament and their charitable legacy to Ottawa.”

The 2018 CP Women’s Open will be played at the Wascana Country Club in Regina. For more details, visit www.cpwomensopen.com.

OTTAWA – Brooke Henderson said that it would take a miracle for her to get into contention at the CP Women’s Open after barely making the cut. She got that miracle on Saturday.

Henderson fired a course record 8-under 63 at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club to rocket up the leaderboard into a temporary tie for second at 7-under par before several players passed her. Still, finishing the day tied for sixth, three shots behind co-leaders Mo Martin and Nicole Broch Larsen, was a big improvement after needing a birdie on her final hole Friday to even play in the third round.

“Having the cut out of the way kind of gave me a little bit of a scare yesterday, being so close and almost not even playing the weekend,” said Henderson. “So I knew I had to get going.”

She added with a laugh: “Today is moving day, so I moved, that’s for sure.”

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., was the only other Canadian left in the field after Friday night’s cuts. She shot a 1-over 72 to finish the day at 1-under par tied for 45th.

“It does a lot for my confidence no matter how the weekend goes,” said Marchand, who was a sponsor exemption that usually plays on the Symetra Tour. “Maybe today a few mistakes here and there. But overall I’m happy I’m playing the weekend. To know that I can play out here gives me confidence when I go back to Symetra.”

Henderson, who is from nearby Smiths Falls, Ont., and an honorary member at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, doesn’t normally keep score when she’s playing the course for fun. The history books are telling though: the previous course record was a 64 set by Yani Tseng in 2008 before the course was redesigned in 2013. The men’s record was a 65 set by golfing legend Jack Nicklaus in 1960 as an amateur at the America’s Cup.

It looked like Henderson was going to earn her only bogey of the day on the 381-yard, par 4 No. 16.

Her approach shot shanked a little, falling on the green 70 feet from the hole. A long putt settled about 20 feet away from the pin, making par seem unlikely. But Henderson steadied herself and drained the shot, her knees buckling slightly from relief as the hundreds of fans trailing her from hole to hole burst into applause.

“I was really disappointed with that second shot. I kind of mentally got in my way there, and then that two-putt, when I went up to it, I was hoping for a two-putt and I was able to get it,” said Henderson. “Just kind of fell in the side door there, and then it led to two more birdies on 17 and 18.

Marchand was also frustrated on No. 16, bogeying before recovering on the next hole with a birdie.

“I three-putted on 16, and that was just frustration because I was mad that I missed my birdie putt again. Then I go and three-putt from ten feet. Just little things like that, I think those are the frustration parts a few times. But then I’m glad I bounced back with a birdie and little things.

The crowds following Henderson around the course have been the talk of the tournament. Although the 19-year-old Henderson admitted on Friday that she felt a lot of pressure as the star of the show, she was more relaxed and happy on Saturday and enjoying the support of the fans.

“Coming up 18 I kind of just took a peek around and I didn’t see any green grass outside of the ropes,” said Henderson. “Everybody was everywhere. So it’s such an incredible feeling. Being so close to home makes this week so much more special.”

.@BrookeHenderson puts on a show today as she shoots a course record of 63 during her 3rd round! Watch highlights:#CPWO pic.twitter.com/DQUeY9vGIe

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 26, 2017

Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum held a press conference on Saturday at Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club during the third round of the 2017 CP Women’s Open.

OTTAWA – Brooke Henderson’s sister and caddy Britt asked the gallery to be quiet, no pictures even, as the Canadian golf superstar settled over the ball. She was 25 feet away from an eagle putt that would guarantee she made the cut at the CP Women’s Open. A birdie might work too, with the cutline wavering around 1-over par.

“Nobody was doing anything. They all wanted me to have the best opportunity to make it,” said Brooke Henderson, who grew up in Smiths Falls, Ont., just over 60 kilometres from the Ottawa Hunt andGolf Club.

She struck the ball and the crowd started to cheer, with calls of “come on!” as the ball followed the contours of the green on No. 9. But then it tailed a little and came up less than a foot short. Henderson strode over, looked at her grouping partners to ask if she could finish, then sank the putt to finish the second round at 1 over.

“I was just trying to give myself an easy tap-in to make birdie,” said Henderson. “I didn’t want anymore pressure on myself. I just wanted to nestle it up close. It looked really good. As soon as I hit it I was like that’s going to go in, but a little bit short.”

After Henderson, Cristie Kerr and So Yeon Ryu signed their scorecards, the cutline moved up to 2-over par, guaranteeing the Canadian would play in the third round of Canada’s national women’s golfchampionship.

The 19-year-old phenom admitted after the dramatic final hole on Friday that the pressure of playing in front of what amounts to her hometown crowd was getting to her.

“I feel like I’ve handled it pretty well so far,” said Henderson. “I think now that the cut is kind of over with, I can focus on my game and try to shoot maybe 4- or 5-under these next two and see if I can be in the top 10 or just climb that leaderboard a little bit more.”

Playing in front of the large red-and-white clad crowds didn’t just affect Henderson. She and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., were the only players from the field of 14 Canadians to make the cut.

Marchand, who was playing two groupings back of Henderson, often had dozens of fans waiting for her at every hole after Henderson moved on. Although Henderson got the lion’s share of the attention, Marchand actually finished the second round as the low Canadian, tied for 23rd at 2-under par, six shots back of leader In Gee Chun.

“I like playing for the Canadians and playing at home,” said Marchand, who earned a sponsor exemption for the tournament. “Having my family and people turn out. It’s nice when people cheer for you.

“On the Symetra Tour we don’t often have anybody. Maybe your host family, maybe your mom comes. It feels like it really boosts your mood and gives you confidence. Because no matter how well you do, they’re probably going to cheer for you because you’re Canadian.”

Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay and Augusta James of Bath, Ont., as well as amateurs Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., and Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee tied at 7 over.

Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., was 8 over, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 9 over, amateur Grace St-Germain of Ottawa was 10 over and Calgary’s Jennifer Ha was 12.

Hannah Hellyer of Sterling, Ont., was 14 over, Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., was 15 over and amateur Naomi Ko from Victoria was 16 over. Charlottetown’s Lorie Kane finished the day at 19 over.

Although she does feel like she’s under a microscope, Henderson wants the crowds following her to get even bigger.

“I look around and the whole green is covered, the fairways are covered. Not just covered, they’re like eight people deep, which is truly amazing,” said Henderson. “I just hope they continue to grow over the next two days.”